Mary's Meals Usa Inc

What Mary's Meals Usa Inc does

Mary's Meals USA Inc is a US-registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization (EIN #33-1215331) and the American affiliate of the global Mary's Meals movement, headquartered at 75 Orchard Street, Bloomfield, New Jersey. Its core activity is fundraising to support school feeding programs that provide a daily meal to children in some of the world's poorest communities across 16 countries (Malawi, Haiti, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Mozambique, South Sudan, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Liberia, Madagascar, India, Ecuador, and Benin), reaching more than 3 million children every school day at a published cost of $25.20 per child per school year (about $0.13 per meal). The organization operates a community-led delivery model in which tens of thousands of volunteer cooks, in-country NGO partners (e.g., Caritas Hinche, BND, Summits Education, Daughters of Charity, Mozambique School Lunch Initiative), and local schools prepare and serve meals, allowing Mary's Meals to keep overhead and per-beneficiary cost extremely low.

The organization generates revenue exclusively through charitable donations rather than commercial sales. Funding streams include one-time and recurring monthly individual donations via marysmealsusa.org and JustGiving, corporate partnership programs with workplace giving and cause marketing, community fundraising events (e.g., Race to Feed Kids, concerts, silent auctions), the Sponsor-a-School / Feed-a-School program at $25.20 per child per year, tax-advantaged giving vehicles, memorial/tribute giving, and a merchandise e-commerce store (Gifts of Hope). Distribution to children is indirect: dollars raised in the US flow through the global Mary's Meals network, which places them with in-country partners that procure and serve meals in approximately 5,800 schools. The customer base is segmented into individual donors (primary), corporate partners, schools and students, church/faith communities, and volunteer ambassadors. Public positioning is faith-rooted (Catholic origin, Marian name) and amplified through books and films such as The Shed That Fed A Million Children and the documentary On the Frontlines of Hunger.

Operationally, Mary's Meals USA is a lean organization led by Executive Director Terry Bonet, working under the global leadership of Founder and Global CEO Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow (headquartered in Dalmally, Scotland). The US entity's strategic activity centers on donor acquisition and retention through community and event-driven go-to-market, digital content marketing, and ambassador networks, with no proprietary technology platform or AI-driven product surface. Mary's Meals USA is privately held as a nonprofit, with no institutional investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, or subsidiaries disclosed.

Name

Mary's Meals Usa Inc

Legal name

Mary's Meals Usa Inc

Website

https://marysmealsusa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mary's Meals USA Inc is the US fundraising affiliate of Mary's Meals, a 501(c)(3) charity that supports daily school meals for more than 3 million children across 16 countries through local volunteers and in-country NGO partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable School Feeding Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Food Service Contractors (72231), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAJAD

School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Food Security & Nutrition Programs

SECONDARYEDADALAL

School Feeding & Social Protection Partnerships (Conditional Cash Transfers, etc.)

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Partnerships, Intergovernmental & NGO Programs

SECONDARYEDAEAEAD

Menu Planning, Nutrition & Dietary Accommodation Services (Allergens, Special Diets)

Education/Education Facilities & Support Services/School Food Services & Catering (Cafeteria Operations)

SECONDARYEDAEAEAE

Food Procurement, Inventory & Supply Chain for Schools

Education/Education Facilities & Support Services/School Food Services & Catering (Cafeteria Operations)

Keywords

• School feeding programs
• Charitable donations
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Hunger relief
• Child nutrition

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individuals through the organization's website. Donors can give one-time or monthly recurring donations. Monthly donors receive doubled impact for their first month.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partners support Mary's Meals through financial contributions, employee giving programs, and cause marketing initiatives.
3. Fundraising Events: Community events including races, concerts, silent auctions, and school fundraisers generate donations while building awareness.
4. Sponsor a School Program: Supporters can fund all daily meals for students at a specific school for an entire year through the Feed a School initiative.
5. Shop/Merchandise: Online shop selling gifts of hope and merchandise, with proceeds supporting the school feeding programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Mary's Meals USA provides nutritious daily school meals to children in impoverished communities across 16 countries, attracting hungry children to classrooms by promising a meal at school. The organization raises funds through individual donations, monthly giving, corporate partnerships, school sponsorships, and Gifts of Hope merchandise sales, then channels those donations to in-country local partners who coordinate community volunteer cooks serving meals in schools.

Product overview

Mary's Meals is a non-profit charitable organization (not a technology product company) that operates school feeding programs across 16 countries, reaching more than 3 million children daily. The organization offers various engagement programs including its core School Feeding Program, Monthly Giving, Sponsor a School, Fundraising Campaigns, Ambassador Program, Corporate Partnership Program, Memorial Giving, Tax Smart Giving, an e-commerce Shop (Gifts of Hope), Church Support Program, and Schools Engagement Program. These programs work together as an integrated charitable ecosystem where donations fund school meals, supporters engage through various channels, and all contributions advance the mission of providing daily meals to children in impoverished communities to attract them to education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Feeding Program Core program providing nutritious daily school meals (primarily porridge) to children in impoverished communities across 16 countries. Operates through local partnerships and community volunteers serving meals in schools to attract children to education.
• Monthly Giving

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of teachers reported that Mary’s Meals had a positive influence on quality of education
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BND (Bureau de Développement à Domicile)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in Haiti that helps ensure successful delivery of school feeding program in and around Port-au-Prince and in Centre department. BND coordinator Emmline Toussaint provides insight into how daily school meals help prevent children from joining gangs.
• Caritas HinchecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner working with Mary's Meals to deliver school meals across Haiti's Centre and West departments, serving children despite considerable logistical and security challenges.
• Summits EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in Haiti working with Mary's Meals to deliver school feeding programs to children.
• Daughters of CharitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-country partner in Tigray, Ethiopia that rapidly scaled the school feeding program from 10,000 children in 2023 to 110,000 children in 200 schools. Partner organization led by Sister Medhin.
• Mozambique School Lunch Initiative (MSLI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in Mozambique helping deliver school meals in Mabalane District of Gaza province. MSLI representatives Cara and Roberto explain the crisis facing Mozambique and the importance of the school feeding program.
• Cheptarit Star Women's GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's cooperative in Nandi County, Kenya founded in 2009 that grows beans and maize. Their produce is used in Mary's Meals school feeding programs, creating a guaranteed market that enables small holder farmers to grow more food.
• Gift of the GiversminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth African charity that partnered with Mary's Meals and long-standing friends in Malawi to deliver emergency food aid to more than 40,000 people in Somalia during 2011 crisis.
• STEKA (home for vulnerable children)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome for vulnerable children in Blantyre, Malawi where Gift lived during secondary school. Mary's Meals beneficiary who went on to study at university in Scotland.
• JustGivingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized third-party platform for online donations, ensuring secure transactions for donors.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rise Against Hunger: International hunger-relief nonprofit that distributes meals and food aid in communities worldwide, including school feeding initiatives. Comparable mission (ending hunger through meals), reliance on corporate partners and volunteers for meal packaging/distribution, and donor-driven funding model.
• Pencils of Promise: Nonprofit building schools and increasing access to education for children in developing countries, with a strong digital fundraising and recurring-giver model. Closely comparable in school-focused mission, individual donor base, and "build/donate at low unit cost" value proposition, though focused on school infrastructure rather than meals.
• Compassion International: Faith-based child sponsorship nonprofit serving children in poverty across dozens of developing countries through a sponsorship model. Highly comparable to Mary's Meals in faith-based DNA, child-focused mission, international footprint, and recurring-donor / sponsorship giving model.
• Food for the Poor: U.S.-headquartered interdenominational Christian charity providing food, medicine, and support to the poor in Caribbean and Latin America. Comparable faith-based DNA, individual-donor funding model, and direct in-country delivery partnerships in geographies that overlap with Mary's Meals.
• No Kid Hungry (Share Our Strength): U.S.-focused nonprofit that funds and advocates for school breakfast, lunch, and summer meal programs for children facing hunger. Most direct peer in mission (ending childhood hunger via school meals) and donor-base model (individual giving + corporate partnerships), though U.S.-only versus Mary's Meals' 16-country footprint.

Broad incumbents

• World Vision: Large Christian humanitarian organization operating child sponsorship, school feeding, and community development programs across ~100 countries. Comparable in faith-based DNA, child-focused mission, school-based interventions, and recurring donor / sponsorship model.
• Feeding America: Largest U.S. hunger-relief nonprofit, operating a nationwide network of food banks serving communities in need. Comparable as a hunger-relief charity reliant on individual and corporate donors, but focused on food banking/distribution rather than school meal delivery.
• Catholic Relief Services: Official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community, operating relief and development programs (including school feeding) in over 100 countries. Comparable Catholic-faith roots, multi-country beneficiary footprint, and donor-supported model, but a much broader programmatic scope beyond school meals.
• World Food Programme (WFP): UN agency operating the largest global school feeding programme, serving millions of children daily across dozens of countries. Directly comparable as a school-meals-focused humanitarian organization, but with vastly larger scale, multilateral funding base, and government-backed program delivery.
• UNICEF (School Feeding / Child Nutrition): UN agency supporting child nutrition and education programs, including school feeding, across the geographies where Mary's Meals operates. Highly comparable in mission and country footprint, but with multilateral/government funding and a far broader programmatic mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/marysmeals
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCc40nV8jThRrugnsSlFDmyQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/MarysMealsUSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marys-meals-usa-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/marysmealsusa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mary's Meals Usa Inc